90 YEARS OF HISTORY FROM COMRADES TO THE SWANS COMRADES 1923/1924–1952 The Comrades Club was founded in 1923, and affiliated to the Auckland Football Association in 1924 with three teams only based at Victoria Park. Not surprisingly, the club had a strong trade union element, with its founder Lou Ross being the treasurer of the Painters Union and the connection to the name Comrade was obvious. The first club meeting was held in the Trades Hall in Hobson Street, Central City and thereafter at the Leys Institute in St Marys Road Ponsonby. Also involved as patron was Michael Savage with vice patron John A Lee and a committee that had several members who were to become MP ‘s. Comrades Life member Garth Carsley Ballantyne (deceased 26 December 1983) was president of the club and associated Grey Lynn merging clubs for 60 years from 1924 to 1983 and he was also a Life Member (and past president) of the NZ Junior Football Association, Auckland Football Association Control Board (1924 to 1930),
16 April 2014 www.wsafc.org.nz
Auckland Junior Football Association, North City Junior Football Association, and the Eden Roskill District Cricket Club. Garth played hockey in his early years and never played a game of soccer It was initially left to another Life Member, Jack Church, who began his playing days in rugby, to boost the club’s membership who used un-subtle but effective tactics to recruit new members. Whenever he saw a group of three or four boys playing in Victoria Park he would throw them a soccer ball. After they had kicked it around for a while he would then approach them and ask if they would like to join a soccer club. The result was that from the three teams at the start, Jack Church turned this into six teams by the end of 1924. He regularly watched his favourite Grey Lynn 5th Grade team which included Warren Fleet (who later went on to represent NZ 14 times) and coached by his father Kenny Fleet (who represented NZ six times). Jack Church passed away on the 7th July 1977. By the time the youngsters became
old enough to form the club’s first senior team, Comrades boasted 17 junior teams and by 1937 was the largest soccer club in NZ as well as being the biggest, the club was also the most successful and won the Falcon Cup for the Auckland club with the most championship points for 10 years running. Also in 1940 the club reached the peak of its success when the Senior First Division team, comprised entirely of New Zealanders, won the Auckland Senior championship—the biggest success the various emerging clubs have ever had over the following years up to 2013. Highest Grade-Mens —1st Division AFA 1933-1952 Principal Honours Mens 1st Division AFA winners 1940, 1941 and Juniors-Ritchie Cup Winners 1937, 1938 and 1946–1948 GREY LYNN COMRADES 1952–1954 During the 1940’s the state housing boom developed and the nature of the Freemans Bay area changed considerably. Its traditional working class membership started to move out to the Auckland suburbs and the club soon found most of its members were living in Grey Lynn and Westmere. So in 1951 it decided to move, and as there was an existing club in Grey Lynn with just one senior team named Grey Lynn United, a recommendation of amalgamation was proposed and in 1952 the two clubs joined forces, and became the Grey Lynn-Comrades Club. This included Midget 11-a -side games (age group under 7 and 9 years) which were now being played at Grey Lynn Park. Inside the